The present invention relates to a paperboard carton structure and more particularly to a microwave ovenable package with handle elements useful for removing the hot package from a microwave oven.
Cartons prepared from paperboard for use in microwave ovens are often heated to elevated temperatures during the cooking process. These cartons generally remain too hot to touch even after the cooking process. The steam and cooking vapors generated by the relatively high temperatures encountered in cooking food products in the microwave may be removed by automatic or manual venting means, but the carton itself generally still remains hot. This makes it difficult to remove the carton from the microwave so that the cooked food products may be served in a timely fashion.
Thus, it is a general object of the present invention to provide an effective means for removing a normally too hot to touch paperboard carton from a microwave oven after cooking. More particularly, it is a specific object of the present invention to provide handles on a paperboard carton which enables the carton to be removed from the oven in a timely fashion after the cooking process.